Kia’s rise in the car world has been nothing sort of spectacular and we can clearly see it today in cars such as the Telluride or the all-new 2021 Sorento. Speaking of which, the Koreans’ American arm has been brewing two Sorento-based off-road concepts and we can’t get enough of their coolness. Meet the Sorento Yosemite Edition and Zion Edition.
The Yosemite Edition and the Zion Edition are derived from the Sorento X-Line model, one that’s already marketed as an able off-roader thanks to 20-inch wheels, 8.3-inch ground clearance, and a fancy AWD setup that includes a snow mode.
Obviously, the two prototypes adhere to different themes. Without giving out too much info on either of them, Kia tells us that the Yosemite Edition is all about mountain living and adventure on rocky ground, hence the Pine Green body paint, black accents, and the roof rack.
Although it ditches the V-6 engine, the 2021 Sorento can be had with a 2.5-liter mill in either naturally-aspirated or turbocharged state of tune. The n/a variant cranks out 191 horsepower and 182 pound-feet, while the forced induced one is good for 281 horsepower and 311 pound-feet, which makes it better equipped for driving off the beaten path in an off-road-oriented application.
Each car sits on 20-inch wheels wrapped in 32-inch all-terrain rubber and flaunts custom skid plates and brush guards. We must say, the work Kia did on the Sorento to bring it up to such extreme overlanding capabilities looks a lot like what Toyota and Lexus have been doing with the some or their products. The latest such contraptions that spruce to mind are Lexus’ GXOR and LX J201 off-road concepts.
Not to say that’s a bad thing. In a way, the Koreans are learning from the likes of Jeep and Ford, who know customization is a popular practice among their clientele and are gearing up to offer wide ranges of aftermarket bits and bobs.
Surely, a Sorento isn’t the ultimate go-anywhere machine out there and it’s highly unlikely that customers would bend over backwards to turn the SUV into a mean off-roader - something that Kia is aware of. But by parading these two show cars around, Kia hopes to at least entice the customer to buy milder mods, such as roof rack crossbars, tow hitches, and side steps.